How to have fun on the island of Flores? What activities are worth travelling to the westernmost island of the Azores for?
Hiking
Flores is a paradise for hikers and walking enthusiasts. The island has an excellent system of marked hiking trails, as well as plenty of unmarked beaten paths among the grasslands.
On foot, you can take easy short walks from the car parks to the nearest natural attractions (usually a 10-60 minute walk), but also long distance day treks and even multi-day hikes around three quarters of the island are possible.
Buy tickets to Flores FLW airport
The hiking trails are called "trilhos".
What do the trails on Flores look like?
During your Flores wanderings, you'll experience paths between vast pastures enclosed by walls of lava rock, along the edges of steep cliffs, up and down steep hills, and through picturesque villages.
The main routes are well signposted and maintained. However, you have to expect very steep sections in places. Climbing equipment or knowledge is not needed on any section of the routes, but good fitness certainly is.
After rain, parts of the trails can also be muddy and very slippery!
What are the best trails on the island?
Where do the hiking trails lead to and from and how challenging are they?
PR1FLO (Fajã Grande - Ponta Delgada)
The best route is along the wild and deserted west coast. From Faja Grande it first follows the coastline and then gradually climbs the cliffs to heights of over 500 metres, including very steep sections.
It then descends gently along the edge of the cliffs and through green pastures to the town of Ponta Delgada.
- Length - 13 km one way
- Time - 4.5 hours on average
- Difficulty - Hard
- Official Information: trails.visitazores.com/ponta-delgada-faja-grande
If you drive around Flores, you have no choice but to go all the way back or take only part of the route and come back the same way again.
If travelling by bus, it is only possible to do this route if you stay in Santa Cruz das Flores, from where you can get to Ponta Delgada in the morning and back to Santa Cruz in the afternoon at 15:00 from Faja Grande with a change in Lajes. Buses only run Monday to Friday, see the Transport chapter for more details.
PR2FLO (Fajã Grande - Lajedo)
This beautiful route runs mostly through pastures, meadows and through the small villages of Fajãzinha or Mosteiro. The road also passes the famous Cascata da Ribeira do Ferreiro waterfalls.
- Length - 13 km one way
- Time - 3.5 hours on average
- Difficulty - Moderate
- Official Information: trails.visitazores.com/lajedo-faja-grande
Of course, you can break up the journey into shorter sections, which is particularly useful if you are travelling by car. For example, the stretch between the villages of Lajedo and Mosteiro is ideal for a 2.5-hour fairly moderate walk.
When travelling by bus, this route can be covered especially if you stay in Faja Grande, where you can reach Lajedo in the morning and afternoon. Buses only run Monday to Friday, see the Transport chapter for more details.
PR3FLO (Fajã Grande - Lagoa Negra)
A very challenging but beautiful journey takes you from Faja Grande to heights of over 500 metres on the central plateau to the Negra and Comprida lagoons.
In particular, the first part of the route from Faja Grande to the plateau is an extreme zigzag climb up a nearly perpendicular cliff face. Despite this, the route is free of any climbing sections.
- Length - 7 km one way
- Time - 3 hours on average
- Difficulty - Hard
- Official Information: trails.visitazores.com/miradouro-das-lagoas-poco-do-bacalhau
Both when travelling by car and bus, you always have to return the same way back. There is no bus stop at the end of the route at the lagoons.
PR4FLO (Fajã de Lopo Vaz)
The shortest marked route, Fajã de Lopo Vaz runs on the orphaned southern coast in a place where there is a subtropical microclimate.
The trail winds down a huge cliff to a rocky beach and a tiny settlement with small fields called Fajã de Lopo Vaz. Although the descent and subsequent climb is quite steep, the short distance means that even less trained travellers can complete the route at a slow pace.
- Length - 7 km one way
- Time - 3 hours on average
- Difficulty - Moderate
- Official Information: trails.visitazores.com/faja-de-lopo-vaz
The start of the route is about 2 km from the centre of Lajes, which can be reached on weekdays by bus from both Santa Cruz and Faja Grande.
GR01FLO
The so-called Grand Route of Flores is a challenging 45 km long route combining sections PR2FLO, PR1FLO and another marked section without its own specific designation between the towns of Ponta Delgada and Santa Cruz das Flores. We will describe it here.
The road between Ponta Delgada and Santa Cruz is beautiful. It winds through gorges, valleys and with views of the incredibly rugged north-east coast. Long sections of the route also take you through beautifully green and relaxing pastures full of cows and sheep.
The route is superbly structured with the villages of Ponta Ruiva and Cedros, which can serve as alternative starting points for shorter return trips.
This route will therefore appeal to lovers of shorter walks and long, challenging treks.
There is a twice daily bus service between Santa Cruz das Flores and Ponta Delgada on weekdays (3 times a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), which also stops at Cedros and Ponta Ruiva.
Unmarked routes
On the island of Flores, you are free to hike any beaten path as long as it doesn't lead through a fenced pasture. We have plotted the most popular unmarked trails on the map below.
Of particular interest is the trail along the coast between the villages of Faja Grande and Fajazinha, which allows for a longer loop where you can return via the PR2FLO marked route section.
Map of hiking routes in Flores
You can see where all the marked trails on the island lead on our map.
The map is up to date from 2024.
Official information from the Azores Tourist Board can be found at: trails.visitazores.com/flores.
Are there dangerous animals on Flores?
You often wonder if you will encounter dangerous wildlife while hiking on the island.
There are no large carnivores or venomous snakes or insects on the island. Flores is free of any large game species due to its extensive agriculture.
As you wander around the island, you will encounter cows in particular at literally every turn. In the vast majority of cases, the cows are in fenced pastures. Shepherds sometimes move their herds between pastures just along the tourist paths.
If you see a herd of cows, stand to one side and don't move too much. The cows may look at you curiously, but they will avoid you just fine.
Breeding bulls are also chained.
Stray dogs are not found on Flores.
Almost every household has a dog, but usually behind a fence in the garden.
Herders occasionally use smaller herding and hound dog breeds, but they do not interact with humans unless you try to climb over the fence and endanger the cow herd. Dogs are taught that outside their territory, i.e. the fenced pasture, they don't care about the rest of the world.
Enjoy the breathtaking views
Flores is an extremely rugged and hilly island, which means that you will literally come across breathtaking views at every turn.
The viewpoints along the roads are even often marked with a brown sign "Miradouro" with a small terrace and a place to park your car.
In our opinion, the best viewpoints are described in the chapter What to see. However, we have often looked for the places with the best sunset views during our stay, so here are tips on the 3 best places to watch sunsets.
- Miradouro Craveiro Lopes - Incredible views of the west coast of Flores with high cliffs that are beautifully lit by the setting sun
- Location
- Miradouro Lagoas Funda e Rasa - A little-known vantage point in the middle of the island overlooking two volcanic lakes and the sun setting over the ocean in the background
- Location
- Miradouro Raul Brandão - easily accessible viewpoint directly above the village of Faja Grande
Boat cruises
Discover the Flores coastline from a water perspective as well, where you can see large sea caves that can't be reached except by water.
There are several cruise companies around the island, all sailing from the largest town, Santa Cruz das Flores.
These cruises are organised by several companies. They are usually divided into two types:
- A cruise to the most famous caves - about 90 minutes and 35 eur
- A cruise around the whole island - about 3 hours and 50 eur
We recommend booking the cruise in advance on the website of the largest of the agencies:
Discover the picturesque villages
Only about 3,500 people live on the entire island and the largest town, Santa Cruz das Flores, has less than 1,300 inhabitants. All the other villages and towns are beautiful examples of the typical rural life of the Azores.
The villages are beautifully landscaped and peaceful.
Stop in each village on your car journey, explore on foot and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.
A trip to the island of Corvo
A popular day trip from Flores heads to the neighbouring islet of Corvo, about 20km away, the smallest of all the Azores islands with its huge volcanic caldera and welcoming atmosphere.
For detailed information about the entire island, read our guide to Corvo.
Organised excursions
You can usually go to Corvo from Flores as part of an organised trip organised by several tourist agencies.
In total, the trip takes around 6 hours, some agencies include a stop at the caves and extend the trip to 7-8 hours.
Prices vary between 40 eur and 55 eur depending on whether or not the van trip from Corvu port to the caldera (7 km one way with an elevation gain of over 500 meters) is included.
If the van ride to the caldera is not included, you can pay for it yourself for about 10 eur on the spot, but it can be difficult to find a free car, see our article Transport to Corvo.
On your own by ferry
There is also a regular Atlanticoline ferry between Flores and Corvo. You can book tickets online via the website: atlanticoline.pt/en/booking.
The boat runs only on Tuesdays and Saturdays during the winter, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in May and September, and every day except Wednesdays during the summer.
Whenever the ship sails, the schedule allows for a day trip because the ship always sails in the morning and afternoon.
The sailing time is about 40 minutes and you will have a net time of about 6.5 hours on Corvo when you leave Flores.
A return ticket costs 20 eur.
By plane
There are also direct flights to Corvo from Flores, but only 3 times a week, so they don't allow for a day trip. However, in summer it is possible to take one trip by plane (flying around noon) and return around 5pm by ferry.
A one way ticket costs around 25 eur.